The Community Foundation of Southeast Kansas

What The Community Foundation of Southeast Kansas does

The Community Foundation of Southeast Kansas (CFSEK) is a 501(c)(3) public charity established in 2001 and headquartered in Pittsburg, Kansas, that operates as the regional philanthropic intermediary for Southeast Kansas. The foundation connects individual donors, families, businesses, and professional advisors with charitable causes through four fund vehicles — donor-advised, designated, field-of-interest, and agency funds — while administering nonprofit grants, student scholarships, two giving circles (Future Fund and Rita J. Bicknell Women's Health Fund), and a Legacy Society planned giving program. It manages assets of nearly $53M (as of 2021) and has distributed over $16.9M in cumulative grants and scholarships across more than 17,000 gifts since inception, serving communities across 20 counties.

CFSEK's service portfolio is operational rather than technology-differentiated. Three web portals — Fund Advisor Portal, Grant Application Portal, and Scholarship Application Portal — handle self-service workflows, and donation processing runs on a third-party fund accounting platform (FCSuite). The grantmaking toolkit includes Community Impact Grants, Bill House Agricultural Grants (launched 2025 from the Bill House Legacy Funds established after a 2024 land sale), Elm Acres Foundation grants for at-risk youth, Dylan Meier Get Busy Livin' Foundation grants for youth volunteerism, Knights of Columbus grants, Mt. Carmel Foundation Legacy grants, and the Rita J. Bicknell Women's Health Fund giving circle (established 2007, over $503K awarded to date). No proprietary AI, ML, or platform technology is disclosed.

The foundation's revenue model rests on three streams: charitable contributions from individuals, families, businesses, and organizations; investment income on the $53M asset base; and administrative fees on fund management services. As a 501(c)(3) public charity (EIN 48-1243847), CFSEK does not charge for core grantmaking services and discloses no consolidated revenue figure. Distribution is regional and direct — via the Pittsburg headquarters, three self-service portals, and co-hosted educational events including an Annual Estate Planning Forum for advisors and grant-writing workshops delivered with Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas and local media partners KOAM and The Morning Sun. Leadership transitioned in July 2021 from Kit Parks to current Executive Director Devin Gorman.

Name

The Community Foundation of Southeast Kansas

Legal name

Community Foundation of Southeast Kansas

Website

https://southeastkansas.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Community Foundation of Southeast Kansas (CFSEK) is a 501(c)(3) public charity based in Pittsburg, Kansas that connects donors, families, businesses, and professional advisors across Southeast Kansas with charitable causes through fund management, nonprofit grantmaking, and student scholarship administration.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE), College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits (BPAGADAE), Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

Keywords

• Community foundation services
• Charitable fund management
• Donor-advised funds
• Nonprofit grantmaking
• Scholarship administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Pittsburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Contributions: The foundation receives charitable gifts and donations from individuals, families, businesses, and organizations to establish various types of charitable funds including donor-advised funds, designated funds, field-of-interest funds, and agency funds.
2. Investment Income: Donations are invested and generate investment returns that support ongoing grantmaking and scholarship distributions.
3. Administrative Services: The foundation provides fund management services to donors and agencies, earning administrative fees for managing charitable accounts.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Community Foundation of Southeast Kansas is a 501(c)(3) public charity that connects donors with community needs across Southeast Kansas. It manages a broad portfolio of charitable funds (donor-advised, designated, field-of-interest, and agency funds), distributes competitive grants to nonprofit organizations, and administers scholarship funds for students. The Foundation stewards nearly $53 million in assets and has awarded over $16.9 million in grants and scholarships since its founding in 2001.

Product overview

The Community Foundation of Southeast Kansas (CFSEK) is a 501(c)(3) public charity that operates as a unified charitable services platform rather than a traditional product company. The organization connects donors to community needs through three core service areas: charitable fund management (including donor-advised funds, agency funds, and the Legacy Society planned giving program), nonprofit grant distribution (encompassing Community Impact Grants, Bill House Agricultural Grants, Elm Acres Foundation grants, GBL Foundation youth volunteerism grants, and the Rita J. Bicknell Women's Health Fund giving circle), and student scholarship administration. Supporting infrastructure includes the Fund Advisor Portal for donor self-service, professional advisor partnerships, and publications like the Circle Conversations newsletter. The foundation manages assets of nearly $53 million and distributes approximately $2 million annually in grants and scholarships to Southeast Kansas communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CFSEK: Community Foundation of Southeast Kansas - abbreviated brand name used throughout the organization's website and materials.
• Rita J. Bicknell Women's Health Fund
• Bill House Legacy Funds
• Future Fund Giving Circle
• Elm Acres Foundation
• Dylan Meier Get Busy Livin' Foundation (GBL)
• Mt. Carmel Foundation Legacy Grants
• Knights of Columbus Endowment Fund

Products and services

• Charitable Funds (Donor-Advised, Designated, Field-of-Interest, Agency)
• Nonprofit Grant Programs

Quantifiable outcome

• $367,000 in scholarships announced for 2026
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Fort Scott Area Community FoundationminorOthers · 1 January 2001CFSEK affiliate foundation serving the Fort Scott area, part of CFSEK's network of community foundations in Southeast Kansas providing youth activities granting.
• Girard Area Community FoundationminorOthers · 1 January 2001CFSEK affiliate foundation serving the Girard area, part of CFSEK's network providing youth activities granting and community support.
• KOAMminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal media outlet partnering with CFSEK to host the Nonprofit Media Relations Workshop to help nonprofits learn how to write compelling press releases and engage with media.
• The Morning SunminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal news outlet partnering with CFSEK to host the Nonprofit Media Relations Workshop to help nonprofits learn how to write compelling press releases and engage with media.
• Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas (CHC/SEK)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare partner co-hosting the Foundations of Grant Writing workshop series with CFSEK at the John U. Parolo Education Center.
• Bill House Legacy FundscoreOthersEstablished following Bill House's 2009 passing and land sale in 2024, these funds support agricultural initiatives and scholarships for students pursuing agricultural-related degrees across Kansas.
• Rita J. Bicknell Women's Health FundcoreOthersEstablished in 2007, this fund has awarded over $503,000 to projects dedicated to women's health in Southeast Kansas, administered through giving circles.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Salina Community Foundation: Regional Kansas community foundation providing donor services, grantmaking, and scholarship administration. Comparable mid-sized Kansas community foundation model.
• Northwest Kansas Community Foundation: Rural Kansas community foundation serving multiple counties with donor services, grantmaking, and scholarships. Strong comparable given geographic dispersion, scale, and service overlap.
• El Dorado Community Foundation: Smaller Kansas community foundation administering donor funds and supporting local nonprofits and scholarships through a similar operating model.
• Manhattan Community Foundation: Kansas-based community foundation managing charitable funds, grants, and scholarships for its regional community. Direct peer to CFSEK in size, structure, and service offerings.
• Topeka Community Foundation: Kansas community foundation offering donor-advised funds, competitive grant cycles, and scholarship administration. Operates the same fund/grant/scholarship triad as CFSEK, with similar donor and nonprofit customer segments.
• Wichita Community Foundation: Kansas-based community foundation providing donor-advised funds, nonprofit grants, scholarships, and agency fund services. Directly comparable in structure, services, and customer base to CFSEK's Southeast Kansas footprint.
• Hutchinson Community Foundation: Kansas community foundation administering donor funds, competitive grants, and scholarships. Direct comparable peer operating in a similar mid-sized Kansas market.
• Dodge City Community Foundation: Southwest Kansas community foundation serving donors, nonprofits, and students through charitable funds, grants, and scholarships. Comparable rural Kansas peer with similar customer segments and service model.

Broad incumbents

• Greater Kansas City Community Foundation: Larger regional community foundation serving the Kansas City metro area with donor-advised funds, grantmaking, and scholarship administration. Comparable as a Kansas/Missouri community foundation operating the same charitable fund management model.
• Tulsa Community Foundation: Larger Oklahoma regional community foundation offering donor-advised funds, agency funds, competitive grants, and scholarship administration. Comparable service platform with a broader geographic reach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sekcf
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cfsek

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Community Foundation of Southeast Kansas